As you know, social media is all about people connecting and having a conversation. To that end, I have a few simple ground rules so that conversations will be civil, productive, and inviting to anyone who wants to participate.

Here is my comments policy:

1. You may comment without registering. Whether you register or not is up to you.

2. You may post anonymously. I do not recommend your doing so, but you may if you wish. I reserve the right to change this rule if it is abused.

3. You may post follow-up questions. If you have a question, most likely you are not alone. Probably others are thinking the same thing. Therefore, unless it is of a confidential nature, I would rather receive your comments and questions on my blog rather than via email. That way everyone benefits from your observation and I can respond to everyone at one time rather than in several separate emails.

4. You may disagree with me. I welcome debate. However, I ask that if you disagree with me or anyone else who posts here that you do so respectfully. Please make courtesy the minimal standard of conduct.

5. I reserve the right to delete your comments. This is my blog. I do not have an obligation to publish your comments. The First Amendment gives you the right to express your opinion on your blog, not mine.

Specifically, I will delete comments if you post something that is, in my sole opinion, (a) cutting; (b) off-topic; (c) libelous, defamatory, abusive, harassing, threatening, profane, pornographic, offensive, false, misleading, or which otherwise violates or encourages others to violate my sense of decorum and civility or any law, including intellectual property laws; or (d) “spam,” i.e. an attempt to advertise, solicit, or otherwise promote goods and services. You may, however, post a link to your site or your most recent blog post.

6. You retain ownership of your comments. I do not own your comments and I expressly disclaim any and all liability that may result from them. By commenting on my site, you agree that you retain all ownership rights in what you post here and you will relieve me and hold me harmless from any and all liability that may result from those posts.

7. You grant me a license to post your comments. This license is worldwide, irrevocable, nonexclusive, and royalty free. You grant me the right to store, use, transmit, display, publish, reproduce, and distribute your comments in any format, including but not limited to a blog, in a book, a video, or presentation.

In summary, my goal is to host interesting and informative conversations with caring, honest, and respectful people. I believe this simple comments policy will facilitate this.